States of Mind: Those Who Go 1911

Umberto Boccioni made this painting with oil on canvas. It’s a world of blues, greys, and blacks, punctuated by small areas of ochre and red. It looks as though Boccioni built up the image through repeated marks, constantly adjusting it. I can imagine him, brush in hand, thinking and rethinking his composition. His mind must have been awhirl. And in places the paint is thick; in others, the paint is thin and scratchy. Look at the way the diagonal marks create a feeling of movement! He’s caught a vibe, or multiple vibes. What was he trying to catch? Boccioni was part of the Futurist movement and his concerns were to represent the dynamism of modern life, speed and technology. His contemporaries were Duchamp, Picabia, Severini. They’re all in conversation with each other. And their conversations continue to resonate with artists today. It’s like echoes going on and on!